Missing
by SamPhantom95
Summary: Doumeki risks his life to save Watanuki, but he suffers more than just a mere injury. On his last breath he tells Watanuki the one thing he wanted to tell him for a long time. Will Watanuki be able to save him and tell him exactly how he feels as well?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own xxxHolic, all rights go to their respective owners.**

**This is a DouWata (Yaoi) story but nothing overly graphic in terms of boy x boy. Contains mature language.**

**Enjoy and Review! **

Fighting this spirit was like aiming a target with your eyes closed. Then again, every encounter with a spirit that was after Watanuki seemed that way. But this particular spirit seemed even more stubborn than the others they've tried to fight off.

He could see Watanuki flailing his arms around as well as trying to shield himself from whatever dark creature was trying to attack him. Usually Doumeki would get a sense of where the spirit was and would shoot without missing. Or, Watanuki would guide him to where it was and Doumeki would shoot his arrow without fail. This time however, it seemed harder than the past encounters.

The spirit flipped and spun around the helpless teenager as Doumeki tried his best to aim his bow to where he predicted this pest of a spirit was.

"D-Doumeki! What the hell, why are you just standing there!?"

"Shut up."

He let go of the bow's string and felt the energy of his arrow bolt right through the air. But it seemed to have missed. Watanuki was still trying to get away from this invisible annoyance.

Getting frustrated, Doumeki ran towards him and shoved him out of the spot of where he had been flailing about and held his bow at the ready for another shot at this spirit. Why was this particular one harder to take down? Besides it being so strong, there has to be more than just strength to this spirit. It must be after something, other than Watanuki's supposedly irresistible presence.

Watanuki fell to the floor when Doumeki pushed him away, but instead of yelling out and calling him an idiot, he screamed out in terror.

This spirit was no ordinary spirit, and Watanuki was very sure that this one was as malicious as a demon.

"Doumeki!" Watanuki screamed.

Doumeki didn't look back and fired his arrow towards where he thought the spirit was, but he missed again. The spirit was circling him, cackling and growling that only Watanuki can hear. Doumeki fired again. Missed. How can he keep missing when the spirit was circling around him?

Perhaps…his pure aura that wards off spirits was useless against _this_ one spirit. Completely useless, that is.

Doumeki could feel himself grow weary and shivering slightly at this realization but he wasn't going to let this spirit hurt Watanuki. He never failed in protecting him, and he wasn't going to fail this time.

Before he could let go of his arrow to aim another attack on this spirit, he suddenly went numb and his body froze for a mere second. His ears had gone deaf and his sight was blurry. And then, the pain had finally registered. He was attacked.

His right side burning and stinging in pain. He could feel a slight wetness. Blood? Most likely…

He could hear someone's voice, calling him, no, screaming for him…

"DOUMEKI!"

Watanuki…

Doumeki looked over to his side and saw his friend standing there with the face of horror written all over him. He no longer felt the pain in his side but he felt the pain of seeing his friend so sad. He could've sworn he saw tears in his eyes behind those glasses.

"Wata…nuki…"

He let go of his last attack and this time it had finally struck the spirit, but only weakening it. The spirit had given up but it was not gone forever. It started to fade and disperse from Watanuki's vision but that wasn't his main concern now.

The sound of a lifeless body collapsing to the cement ground made Watanuki's insides twist as he watched the archer fall to the ground, too shocked to move for a second. When his mind had finally snapped back into life, he ran towards the archer screaming,

"Doumeki! Doumeki! Doumeki!"

Hands shaking, he lifted the dying archer's body up and against his chest, observing his wounds as tears started to sting his eyes.

"No…no-no-no! Hang on, Doumeki! You are NOT gonna die on me right now! You're gonna live, just hang on!"

His voice cracking and his hands shaking tremendously. What could he do? Here he was standing in the middle of a cold cement walkway, his friend dying in his arms…

"Wait, Yuko! She can help, she has to! C'mon, we'll go to her and she can somehow get you healed up! C'mon Doumeki, don't do this to me! Don't you fucking dare do this to me!"

The fear and struggle to stay sane when someone who had protected him no matter what was now losing his life by each passing breath.

"Wa…tanuki-"

"Shut up! Don't talk, you gotta save your energy…I gotta somehow get you to Yuko! Just please…hang on Doumeki. You're not leaving me!"

"Watanuki…you moron…"

"Huh?! You-"

"There's no use…to take me to that place, but a-at least you're safe. And that's all that matters…"

"No, you're the moron here!" Watanuki screamed. "You…you got hurt, protecting me. Why? Why would do such a stupid thing?!"

Doumeki sighed softly. "Why? You idiot…"

"Doumeki-"

"Because I love you."

Watanuki inhaled sharply. His eyes widening and his shaking halted.

_L-Love…? _

"D-Doumeki…you-" Tears flowing down, a faint blush dusted on his cheeks.

Doumeki's body suddenly went limp and heavy in Watanuki's arms. His breath non-existent and his eyes closed until his last breath escaped his pale lips.

"Doumeki…wait no-no-no-no! Doumeki, wake up! Doumeki, please wake up!"

Watanuki held the archer's cold body close to him, as if holding onto him as tight as possible would bring him back.

"DOUMEKI!" He screamed out into the night air.

Watanuki's eyes flew open. He struggled to lift his body but forced all his strength to lift the archer on his back.

"Yuko…I have to go to Yuko. I have to save him, I have to! Hang on Doumeki, I'm gonna get help, don't even think about leaving me yet!"

'_Because I haven't told you…that I…' _

Dragging Doumeki's body and powerwalking as fast as he possibly can towards the shop, he could feel his faith in saving the archer's life draining slowly, but his confidence boosted as he saw the entrance of the shop only a few steps away. He ran as fast as he could while holding a heavy body onto his back.

Bursting through the gates and through the sliding doors of where Yuko most likely was -the lounge room on the sofa.

"Yuko! Yuko, please help! Doumeki-"

"Saved you."

"Yes, I know, but please, you have to save him! Please, do anything, I'll pay the price!"

"You already know that saying those words could-"

"I KNOW, I KNOW! Please Yuko…do something! SAVE HIM!"

Yuko looked into Watanuki's eyes carefully, studying his face and watching. She could see the desperation in him the second Watanuki came crashing into the shop. He needed, he wanted Doumeki alive…and not _only_ for the reason that he wards off spirits.

"There maybe…a way to save him."

**To be continued…**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here is chapter 2 – enjoy and review! **

"There maybe…a way to save him."

Watanuki's eyes widened as he had his full attention on Yuko, waiting almost impatiently for what she was going to say in order to save the archer's life.

"First, let's take him to the spare room."

Watanuki carried and dragged the heavy weight of the archer towards one of the sliding doors that led to one of the spare rooms of the shop and set him down on the four-post bed. Looking at Doumeki with a bleeding wound and lying there still and pale made Watanuki want to start crying again.

"Watanuki, I'll need you to wait outside of this room." Yuko calmly said as she watched the young man look over his wounded friend. She could see him trying to fight the urge to reach out and touch him, to make sure he is still there.

"The dead cannot be brought back to this world, but…wounds can heal."

Watanuki looked up at the witch with wide eyes as tears were just beginning to form around his eyes.

"You…you mean he's not really dead? B-But h-he wasn't breathing! He was cold and he wasn't moving a muscle!" Watanuki almost yelled at her.

"You were scared and panicking. You're first assumption was that Doumeki was gone. He was only exhausted and in a great amount of pain. He was very close to death, I will tell you that. But when you dragged him all the way to the shop, he still had life inside him."

Watanuki turned towards the archer, his mind ever so slowly easing down to relief.

"Doumeki is a lot stronger than you think."

"Yeah…" Watanuki whispered.

Yuko smiled. "Well then, Watanuki please wait outside. Or better yet, make some snacks for me! How about some tempura shrimp? That'll be part of your payment."

"Alright." Watanuki replied softly as he took one more look at Doumeki's face before turning to leave. He didn't want to discuss about his whole payment yet. He needed something to distract him, and cooking was the perfect one.

When Watanuki was out of the room, Yuko looked over Doumeki's peaceful yet painful expression. She smiled as he placed a hand on the archer's forehead like she does to Watanuki. They both were like troublesome children to her, but brave and strong nonetheless.

"You saved Watanuki yet again, as expected of you. But extracting the remains of that spirit out of you will come with a price, and one that Watanuki will not be happy to know about. But this will take time, so bare with me Doumeki."

Yuko then placed he hand above the wound in Doumeki's side and from her other hand, she revealed a piece of paper. It was a seal for the spirit's remaining parts to be locked away. It was a much stronger seal than the ordinary ones, and as she placed it on Doumeki's bleeding wound, black smoke lifted up from the bloody mess and was suddenly sucked into the seal. It didn't take too long, but it was a painful process.

The minute the seal touched Doumeki, she felt him jolt slightly. And as the last bit of that spirit was being sucked out of him, Doumeki let out a painful, loud scream as the wound opened up even more before shrinking down. The archer fell limp on the bed and Yuko removed the seal from Doumeki's side.

"All we can do is wait until the final process is done. Rest easy, Doumeki."

Yuko left the room and went to the storeroom to place the seal somewhere locked up to avoid any mishaps. Not long after, she made her way to the kitchen to see Watanuki just finishing up on the snacks with Mokona helping.

Watanuki sensed a presence nearby and turned to see Yuko standing by the doorway like she always is.

"How is he?" Watanuki asked.

He will be fine, but before you come to any conclusion I must tell you something about what will happen for a while with Doumeki." Watanuki finishing plating up the tempura shrimp and vegetables and listened to her. Yuko sat down at the dining table as Watanuki came over with the filled plate.

"Doumeki will be unable to move for a while."

Watanuki nearly dropped the plate. "W-What?"

"Because the spirit was so strong, not even Doumeki's pure aura would've prevented these injuries. The spirit tried to take a bite out of Doumeki's soul, and with the soul damaged he will be immobile for a while until he has fully recovered. He will have to stay in this shop for a few weeks, and you will be there to take care of him."

Normally, Watanuki wouldn't agree to this sort of thing and throw a fit of flailing limbs and screaming like a maniac. But really, he simply just nodded. Bowing his head and feeling like everything was his fault.

"Like always, Doumeki was trying to protect you."

"I know, but-"

"It isn't your fault."

Watanuki didn't say a word. Either way, he still felt guilty. He never wanted someone else to get hurt because of him. He couldn't help but attract spirits but he couldn't avoid the chance of someone else getting dragged into his problems.

'_Doumeki…why are you always protecting me? Was that true? Were those words you said to me before I thought I lost you…true? Do you really…love me?' _

Watanuki was unsure and confused himself but he knew one thing for sure.

'_I'll take care of you. You've already done a lot for me, idiot.'_

**To be Continued…**

**Thank you for reading! Don't forget to review! Chapter 3 coming soon!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note:**

**Thank you for your little reviews, I enjoy reading them very much. I just wanted to give a heads up that I will be posting more 'Douwata' stories but I will DEFINITELY continue my other unfinished stories soon. **

**I am in the middle of exams as well as finishing senior year so please bare with me. Once I finish, I'll have a lot of time to finish them.**

**_Also, in the future chapters, characters may seem a little bit OOC. But don't worry, they will maintain in character all the way through.  
_**

**Enjoy Chapter 3 and REVIEW, please!**

**Thank you!**

* * *

The next morning, Watanuki woke up feeling heavy and sluggish. What could he have possibly done last night to make him feel like crap? Oh that's right…

Doumeki.

He bolted out of his bed and put on his uniform before running down to the spare room to check on the archer. He almost forgot that he was staying over that night because of last night's incident that had nearly cost Doumeki's life.

He pushed the sliding doors and saw the archer lying in the bed, still and breathing. At least he was alive, he was thankful for that much. Watanuki walked up to the bed, looking over at Doumeki's still face and his chest rising up and down ever so softly.

"Doumeki…" He whispered as he placed a gentle hand on the archer's head. He felt a bit warmer and not as icy cold when he assumed that he was surely dead.

Doumeki's eyebrow twitched slightly which made Watanuki jolt. The twitch then led to the brows furrowing until the archer's eyes slowly begun to open. Light painfully pouring into his vision, everything was blurry and he could barely hear anything. That is, until he heard the unmistakable high-pitched voice of a certain male he knew all too well.

"D-Doumeki!" Watanuki screeched as Doumeki awakened from his deep slumber.

He never thought he'd wake up so soon. After suffering an injury a strong spirit caused, he assumed he'd be knocked out for a while.

Watanuki sat at the edge of the bed and grabbed Doumeki's hand that was lying limp on the sheets and looked into his face, hoping he wasn't really immobile, as Yuko had predicted so last night.

"Doumeki, are you alright?"

Doumeki's vision cleared and he moved his eyes, with effort, to look at the figure holding his hand. He could see Watanuki's deep blue eyes staring right into him, as if keeping strong eye contact will keep him alive. And it certainly did, he could feel warmth fill him inside as he stared back with a pained expression. He couldn't help it, his whole body felt like cement.

He could tell something was not right when Watanuki's bright smile turned into a sorrowful frown. Not wanting to see that expression on his love's face, he tried to squeeze Watanuki's hand but his muscles didn't seem to respond. His eyes went from confused to worried.

'_W-Wha…why can't I move?'_

He tried again, but his hand would not move, even by a little bit. It was like his brain was disconnected from his hand, as well as the rest of his body as he tried to move every single part of himself. His eyes seem to be the only thing to actually work. Well, only just. Every time he would look somewhere, he could feel the back of his eyes strain and throb with pain.

Watanuki's hand was shaking. He could feel his hand rattle in his limp hand. What was happening? He tried to speak. Nothing. No words or a sound could be heard.

It was confirmed, Doumeki could not move at all. He was mute. Frozen in his own body, unable to move, let alone walk.

"No…Doumeki, I can't believe it. Although…Yuko has always been right."

'_What?'_

Doumeki tried to show through his eyes that he didn't know what Watanuki was talking about. Watanuki understood.

"Yuko said that after the attack you suffered from the spirit, you would be immobile. You won't be able to move at all…" Watanuki's face fell, his eyes drifting downwards and his hand holding the archer's tightening.

"You idiot…YOU IDIOT!" Watanuki threw himself into Doumeki's chest as he felt tears welling up and falling down his cheeks.

"Risking your life for me, again! Why do you bother? Don't you see how much damage this is creating for you? Didn't you realize that you…you could've actually…died?"

Doumeki could feel Watanuki's shallow breathing on his chest as he tried to gather some oxygen from the unbearable sobs.

'_Idiot, do I need to repeat myself? You should know by now that I'd die for you...without a second thought.'_

If Doumeki couldn't move, he wished he could at least talk. Damn spirit.

Minutes passed as Watanuki just simply lied there on the archer's chest, his regular breathing pattern reassuring him that Doumeki was still alive. But then he realized it was a school day today. He hesitantly moved himself back up and tried to give Doumeki a smile.

"I'll let the teacher know you'll be absent for a while, so you won't have to worry about that. I'll make some breakfast for you and Yuko now."

He gave Doumeki's hand a squeeze before leaving the room and walking to the kitchen, Yuko was already waiting for her food to be prepared.

"He seemed to be alright." Yuko commented as she greeted her part-time worker.

Watanuki smiled sadly. "He's alive, that alone makes me happy. I just hope he will recover quickly." Watanuki started cooking some rice before moving onto cooking some salmon and miso soup for breakfast.

"Really? So you can respond to what he told you before he collapsed last night?" Yuko was snickering, which couldn't be a good thing.

Watanuki remembered back to last night's events…

-

"_There's no use…to take me to that place, but a-at least you're safe. And that's all that matters…"_

"_No, you're the moron here!" Watanuki screamed. "You…you got hurt, protecting me. Why? Why would do such a stupid thing?!"_

_Doumeki sighed softly. "Why? You idiot…"_

"_Doumeki-"_

"_Because I love you."_

Watanuki stiffened and his face went from pink to bright red like a tomato. Steam coming out of his ears as he turned towards the witch.

"W-What-how could you know!? And NO that wasn't what I meant at all!"

With the usual morning routine of Watanuki shouting like a maniac and Mokona popping out of nowhere and interrupting Watanuki's cooking with Yuko laughing, Doumeki could hear most of it from where he was resting. A smile was creeping up on his face.

It was rather unusual to see such a sad expression etched into Watanuki's beautiful face. Hearing him yelling like his usual self made him believe that Watanuki was okay and that the spirit he protected him from had no damage on him.

Although, it was unusual seeing Watanuki, the guy who has claimed time over time his hatred towards the archer, a somewhat different person. Not in a bad way, but it was strange yet exhilarating to see the young man crying out of worry over his limp body. So out of character for him, but it made Doumeki warm and giddy inside.

'_Geez, what am I? Some love struck maiden in a cheesy shojo manga?' _Doumeki thought as he inwardly chuckled.

Not long after, Watanuki came into his room with a tray of food and a glass of orange juice. He knew that since Doumeki could not move, he was going to help him eat.

"I already promised that I would take care of you. I'm sure helping you eat won't be so much of a hassle." Watanuki said as he sat by the bed with the tray on the bedside table. He took some of the salmon and placed it on top of the rice and packed it onto the spoon. He knew it would be a struggle to feed someone who couldn't move with chopsticks so a spoon would be easier.

He brought the spoon just at Doumeki's lips and he struggled to open his mouth to take food. When he finally took it in and mushed it with his tongue, he swallowed it. He tasted great as usual, but for some reason, he had no appetite.

Usually when he would eat Watanuki's food, he felt fulfilled and satisfied. It enriched him to eat such delicious food created by Watanuki's creative and skillful hands. But this time, he felt like it was just useless. It tasted wonderful without a doubt, but he couldn't bring himself to eat anything. He never felt so empty in his whole life.

Watanuki took notice in the change of expression in Doumeki's eyes and questioned himself.

"What's wrong? Is the food okay?"

'_Wait, you can't talk.' _Watanuki reminded himself sadly. He had an idea.

"Since your eyes can move, blink once for yes and twice for no."

'_Aren't you smart…' _Doumeki thought humorously.

He blinked once to say the food was fine. Watanuki was confused even more.

"So if the food is okay, then what is it? It's weird, you're usually, or better yet, _always_ hungry."

Watanuki tried to feed Doumeki again, which Doumeki gladly took but knew it was really useless. It's not like he couldn't eat, he just didn't want to.

Watanuki grew even more concerned. Doumeki not eating was only one of his many worries. He then remembered he still had to make lunch and head off to school. He really wanted to stay with Doumeki and help him out, but he couldn't miss school. He put down the bowl and told the archer that he would be right back.

He came back later with Mokona hopping up and down.

"Mokona is helping!" Mokona cheerfully squealed.

"Mokona will help you eat, I need to get lunch ready and head off soon. You really need to eat something even though you might feel like you can't."

Watanuki walked up to the bed while Mokona went to grab the spoon from the bedside table. He gave Doumeki a comforting hug before leaving the room with a smile.

He didn't know what was coming over him, all he knew was that he had to do it. Seeing one of the strongest people he knew, even though he'd never admit it, at their weakest was too painful to just watch it pass by.

"I'll be back tonight. Mokona, don't try anything stupid." He scolded the black little creature before leaving.

"Mokona is never stupid!"

Doumeki would've chuckled but he couldn't. It felt nice, well more than nice, to be held by Watanuki. It was a nice change from the constant yelling and his flailing limbs. At least he gets to see that in action with Yuko and Mokona when they're messing around with him.

He just hoped that all these small things Watanuki was doing, regardless of his current state, that he was sincere in his actions…and his words.


End file.
